Police declared a bomb threat late Tuesday afternoon at Bristol Community College was a hoax.

Fall River police, along with BCC police, state police and the Fall River Fire Department scoured the building on Elsbree Street for more than 45 minutes, after college officials ordered an evacuation.

“The campus police searched the building and found nothing,” said Fall River District Fire Chief James Bernardo.

According to Sally Cameron, the vice president of College Communications at BCC., the threat was called in at about 4:30 p.m. The students and staff were alerted and told to evacuate via the college’s BEE Notified emergency alert system. The college also posted alerts online via Twitter and Facebook.

At about 5 p.m., four fire trucks, and several police cruisers were parked outside of the building, while police and fire officials walked through it.

A few students and staff could be seen in the parking lot, as that search was being conducted.

“I was in the library, doing homework. Then the librarian told us we have to leave,” said BCC student Robert Martin.

“My phone started buzzing. It was the BEE notified system,” said Adrian Moss, another student, while waiting outside. “We live in dangerous times, so you have to take threats like this seriously. But if this is a hoax, I hope the person responsible is prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

When officials deemed the building safe, students and staff were allowed to re-enter the building. Classes resumed by 6 p.m.

Cameron said campus police would investigate the call to try to track the perpetrator. “We don’t have a tape, but we have the investigation capacity to find out who did it. It’s unsafe. It is not a prank.”

BCC president Jack Sbrega said the college can’t take a chance. It has to treat all bomb threats as serious threats, “because you never know.”